Black bear sightings are becoming more common in western Kentucky with a bear spotted by Calloway County Sheriff’s deputies over the weekend likely making its way into the Land Between the Lakes on Monday.
Emily Cleaver, a public affairs specialist with LBL, said a black bear was seen near the administrative offices in Golden Pond around noon. She said she was not able to determine if the bear was the same one seen in Calloway County on Saturday.
She said the bear sighting was new for her.
click to download audioKentucky is home to a growing bear population along the Pine, Cumberland, and Black Mountain areas in eastern Kentucky as well as the Ozarks of Missouri.
Black bears grow to 4–6 feet in length and weigh between 250-300 pounds and can run at speeds approaching 35 miles per hour for relatively short bursts. While the life expectancy of male bears is shorter than that of females, bears may live 15–25 years in the wild.
Because of the proximity of the bear sighting near the protected Elk and Bison Prairie, Cleaver said they will be keeping an extra eye out on that area.
click to download audioAccording to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, the largest bear handled in Kentucky was a 480-pound adult male that was captured as a research animal during the summer of 2008. The heaviest wild black bear ever reliably documented was an 880-pound, 10-year-old male that was harvested on the coast of North Carolina in the fall of 1998.
While black bears can be tolerant of people, they should always be treated as wild animals whether in a residential or backcountry area. Black bears are rarely aggressive towards people and typically go out of their way to avoid contact.
However, Cleaver encourages common sense if humans come in contact with one.
click to download audioShe said if approached by a bear- stand your ground, raise your arms to appear larger, and yell until it leaves the area. And never run from a bear. This will often trigger its instinct to chase.
With much of the area growing mature hardwood forests, wildlife officials said more black bear sightings should be expected.
